Flower profile

Goat's rue

Tephrosia virginiana

Native in the lower 48

Goat's rue is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 3 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in April–July.

33states

3of our state lists

9,396U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Arkansas, Missouri, South Carolina

Quick look

Tephrosia virginiana, also known as goat-rue, goat's rue, catgut, rabbit pea, Virginia tephrosia, hoary pea, and devil's shoestring is a perennial dicot in family Fabaceae. The plant is native to central and eastern North America.
From Wikipedia's article Tephrosia virginiana, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Fabaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) / a subshrub with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 33 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Arkansas, Missouri and South Carolina. ^NatureServe
In Arkansas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in May–June. ^iNaturalist
In Missouri, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in May–June. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 753 research-grade sightings of it in Arkansas, ranking #54 among the 109 flowers on our Arkansas list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 734 research-grade sightings of it in Missouri, ranking #89 among the 109 flowers on our Missouri list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 416 research-grade sightings of it in South Carolina, ranking #91 among the 111 flowers on our South Carolina list. ^iNaturalist

Goat's rue gift ideas

Handmade goat's rue gifts from independent makers.

🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.

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Goat's rue art print
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Goat's rue embroidery pattern
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Goat's rue sticker
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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (965 records)

Bloom time in each of our 3 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Arkansas	Native	May–June	753
Missouri	Native	May–June	734
South Carolina	Native	April–May	416

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Arkansas: No list Arkansas has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Arkansas ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Arkansas.
Missouri: Not listed Not on Missouri Wildlife Code endangered species (3 CSR 10-4.111), plants. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Missouri. ^{3 CSR 10-4.111}
South Carolina: No list South Carolina has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's South Carolina ranks instead. NatureServe: S5, secure in South Carolina.
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: NE (S1), NH (S1), RI (S1). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleCaution: partly edible, partly poisonous

NC State Extension lists it as poisonous to humans (severity: low). Poisonous parts: roots, stems. Symptoms they list: “toxic to insects and fish” They also note: “Not edible” ^{NC State Extension}

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records goat's rue in 33 states plus Washington, D.C.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin; District of Columbia.

Arkansas counties with USDA records: Arkansas, Ashley, Baxter, Benton, Boone, Bradley, Calhoun, Carroll, Clark, Clay, Cleburne, Cleveland, Columbia, Conway, Craighead, Crawford, Cross, Drew, Faulkner, Franklin, Fulton, Garland, Grant, Greene, Hot Spring, Independence, Izard, Jefferson, Johnson, Lafayette, Lawrence, Lee, Lincoln, Logan, Lonoke, Madison, Marion, Miller, Montgomery, Newton, Ouachita, Perry, Pike, Poinsett, Polk, Pope, Prairie, Pulaski, Randolph, Saline, Scott, Searcy, Sebastian, Sevier, Sharp, St. Francis, Stone, Union, Van Buren, Washington, White, Yell.

Missouri counties with USDA records: Adair, Audrain, Barry, Barton, Bates, Benton, Bollinger, Boone, Butler, Callaway, Camden, Cape Girardeau, Carter, Cedar, Chariton, Christian, Cole, Cooper, Crawford, Dade, Dallas, Dent, Douglas, Dunklin, Franklin, Gasconade, Greene, Henry, Hickory, Howard, Howell, Iron, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Laclede, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Linn, Macon, Madison, Maries, McDonald, Miller, Moniteau, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Newton, Oregon, Osage, Ozark, Perry, Pettis, Phelps, Pike, Polk, Pulaski, Putnam, Ralls, Reynolds, Ripley, Saline, Scott, Shannon, St. Charles, St. Clair, St. Francois, St. Louis, Ste. Genevieve, Stoddard, Stone, Sullivan, Taney, Texas, Vernon, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Webster, Wright.

South Carolina counties with USDA records: Abbeville, Aiken, Allendale, Anderson, Bamberg, Barnwell, Berkeley, Charleston, Cherokee, Chester, Chesterfield, Colleton, Darlington, Dillon, Dorchester, Edgefield, Fairfield, Florence, Georgetown, Greenville, Greenwood, Hampton, Jasper, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, Lee, Lexington, Marion, Marlboro, McCormick, Oconee, Orangeburg, Pickens, Richland, Spartanburg, Sumter, Williamsburg, York.

More Arkansas flowers

White clover

Trifolium repens

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in AR: March–July

Red clover

Trifolium pratense

★ VT state flowerIntroduced

🌼 Blooms in AR: April–September

Eastern redbud

Cercis canadensis

Native

🌼 Blooms in AR: March–April

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile TEVI.
iNaturalist, Tephrosia virginiana: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Tephrosia virginiana (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Arkansas: Arkansas State Plant Board noxious weeds and prohibited plants (2 CAR § 50-101).
Missouri: Missouri Wildlife Code endangered species (3 CSR 10-4.111), plants.
Missouri: Missouri noxious weed list (2 CSR 70-45.005).
South Carolina: South Carolina State Plant Pest List, plants (S.C. Code Regs. 27-135; Clemson Dept. of Plant Industry).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Tephrosia virginiana (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
Photo: Grace Merkert via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.